GPWEEK: You obviously hope to
fight for the GP3 championship
this year after a consistent debut
season. How do you feel about the
new car? Are you more confident
in it than you were the previous
one?
TIO ELLINAS: To be honest I’m
more confident this year because
now I know the circuits pretty well.
I’m trying to do all the preparation I
can, and my aim is to always finish
in the top four, top five. That’s the
way to win a championship – to be
consistent. If you are inconsistent
then you can’t do much.
You can win three races and crash
out of the rest, and you’ll be miles
from a title.
And then you’re nowhere.
So what circuit are you most
looking forward to this year?
I’d have to say Abu Dhabi, because
I’ve never been there. It’s the last
round of the season, and the thrill of
the new.
Last year the one I was most
excited about was Monaco – it
was very special for all of us to
experience that.
You’re taking part in the Young
Drivers’ Test for Marussia this year.
Is that going to be after Abu Dhabi,
or in the summer?
It’s going to be in July. That’s what
we’re planning for, anyway. We’ll see
how it goes.
And you’re going to be the
first Cypriot to take part in an
FIA-sanctioned event. Does that
give you extra pressure, or extra
motivation?
To be honest, extra motivation. I’m
doing this for myself, because I
really love racing, and it has always
been my dream to be a Formula One
driver. Racing has been my whole life,
and it’s what I’m going to continue
to do – what I’m going to try and
continue to do. If everything goes
well, fingers crossed, why not aim
for the top?
Exactly – if you’re not there to
win, why are you there? Every
racer should arrive at the weekend
thinking they can do it.
Everybody is racing to win.
Everybody. You just have to do the
best you can, show that you have
the maturity to get to the top, and
somebody will spot that.
It’s worked for Seb, hasn’t it?
It worked pretty well for him!
He was in the Red Bull Junior
programme, and at every step he
showed them that he had what it
takes to get to the top.
How did you 'get into' Formula
One? You have so many karting
championships to your name –
did you fall in love with F1 on
TV, or did your karting make you
interested in Formula One?
I first started because of my dad,
who used to race. I spent a lot of
years in karts, and I wanted to move
into Formula racing when I was 16,
17, but I couldn’t find a way through.
Then at 18 I found a programme
which was looking for 50 drivers for
a Grand Prix Shootout. I won the
competition, and from there I was
able to move into the Formulas –
Formula BMW, Formula Ford...
You get on the ladder and just
start climbing, don’t you? Tell
me more about the Grand Prix
Shootout – what was it like?
There were 50 people from all
around the world. First they put us
in normal cars with a driver coach,
and he would test our abilities as we
went around the circuit. After leaving
that first round, they emailed to say
I had made it through to the next
stage, which had ten people. The
second stage took place at Pembery,
a track in Wales, and out of the ten
of us I got the best time. From there,
I won a contract with an English
manager for a year, which is when I
started my Formula racing career.
It’s quite an unusual way in, but a
clever one. I like it.
Yes, it is unusual. But it was an
opportunity. In Cyprus, many people
don’t understand the world of
Formula racing – we don’t have a
racetrack, only a karting track, and
the thinking was that I couldn’t
come from such a small place, go to
Europe, and impress people. I could
have stayed in the karting world, but
I spotted the opportunity and I went
for it.
Since then, I’ve tried to move
upwards all the time.
If you want to succeed in life you
have to take advantage of every
opportunity, don’t you? I imagine,
then, that it’s been a challenge for
you to secure local sponsorship
if there’s not much of a racing
culture in Cyprus.
It’s been a big challenge. My family
have been supporting me, but
we keep pushing in the hope that
things will go well and we will find
something.
It does take time, doesn’t it? Time,
luck, talent, timing... So what
are your plans for 2014 if you
secure the GP3 title this year? Will
you move up to GP2, or are you
looking at WSR?
If I manage to win the championship
this year the plan is to go to GP2.
Before that, I hope to show my
abilities during the Young Driver Test
for Marussia, and if that goes well –
fingers crossed – then something
might happen.
You must be looking forward to
your first time in a Formula One
car.
For sure. It has been my dream to
drive an F1 car. I will get limited time
in the car, but it’s still huge for me.
It’s huge, an experience.
5 MINUTES WITH
TIO ELLINAS
The Cypriot GP3 contender has eyes only for July and an F1 test, as KATE WALKER finds out
5 MINUTES
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